High-level G10 Gathering in Yaoundé
Bern, 27.03.2026 — Senior officials of G10 Members met on 27 March 2026 on the fringes of the 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14) of the World Trade Organisation in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Upon invitation from Switzerland, the G10 Members discussed current developments in the WTO negotiations on agriculture. They emphasised their willingness to engage constructively in agricultural talks at MC14 and beyond, while ensuring compatibility with their respective agricultural policies and taking their interests as net food importing countries into account.
The G10 is a group coordinated by Switzerland, which defends common positions in the agricultural negotiations at the WTO from the perspective of net-food importing countries. Jean-Marc Chappuis, Deputy Director of the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, chaired a meeting of high-level G10 representatives. Reiterating their shared commitment to a well-functioning, rules-based multilateral trading system — particularly in the current geopolitical climate — G10 members discussed the ongoing agricultural negotiations at MC14. They expressed their support and hope for a successful outcome at MC14 identifying food security as a top priority. Provided their sensitivities are taken into account, the G10 members confirmed their ongoing commitment to engaging constructively in agricultural talks at MC14 and beyond.
As net-food importing countries, G10 Members emphasized the importance of their positions being taken into account in the ongoing agricultural negotiations and stressed the need for a balanced and comprehensive outcome. The group is particularly concerned about the persistent state of food insecurity, supply disruptions, and price instability, and supports the need for the WTO to contribute meaningfully to ensuring global food security and the predictability of international markets. Furthermore, the group believes that progress in the area of export restrictions could be an important factor for global food security. Regarding the way forward after MC14, the G10 noted that discussions should be balanced and not prejudge the outcome of future negotiations, with global food security objectives at their core.
The G10 members agreed to continue cooperating closely in WTO negotiations, emphasising the concerns of net food importing members, and contributing to the transformation of agriculture and food systems to make them more sustainable and resilient.